The co-occurrence of Artemia
parthenogenetica and Branchinella spinosa (Branchiopoda:
Anostraca) in a saline pond of south eastern Italy
S.
Moscatello, G. Belmonte, G. Mura-2002
Hydrobiologia, 486 (1): 201-206
Abstract:
The co-occurrence of Artemia parthenogenetica
Bowen & Sterling, 1978 and Branchinella
spinosa Milne-Edwards, 1840, was previously only supposed, on the basis
of finding their cysts in the same lagoon, but active stages were never
recorded together. In a saline lake in south eastern Italy, populations of
the two species were observed for two years. A. parthenogenetica
was typical of the early wet season (October–January),
while B. spinosa, even if it was present before, developed in the
late part of the wet season (February–May).
Adult A. parthenogenetica were recorded only in the season 1999–2000.
The seasonal distribution of A. parthenogenetica is probably
controlled by abiotic conditions (i.e., photoperiod, temperature,
conductivity, and rainfall); however, competition between specimens of
similar body size (e.g., adults of A. parthenogenetica, and
juveniles of B. spinosa) could explain the lower numbers of B.
spinosa population in winter. The discovery of cysts of both species
deep in the sediment of the lake suggests a long-lasting co-occurrence of
these two Anostraca.
(Dipartimento
di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche ed Ambientali, Università
di Lecce, 73100 Lecce, Italy, e-mail of G. Belmonte: genuario.belmonte@unile.it)